Issue 21 - December 16th, 2012

I would like to invite you to be part of this Weekly Magazine by raising questions and giving me suggestions through e-mail so this magazine can become a good material for all flamenco lovers, researchers and musicians. Enjoy it!

A.- Comments, Questions and Answers:

QUESTION 1: Are there any "rules" when someone is composing a flamenco piece? For example: intro-compas-falseta-compas-falseta etc. Is the number of falsetas played any specific number? What is that, in your opinion, that makes a flamenco composition sound like a flamenco composition?

QUESTION 2: Why do many of the palos in flamenco start counting at 12, and not 1? Practically, it makes no difference if you count from 12 and put the emphasis on *12* 1 2 *3* 4 5 *6* 7 *8* 9 *10* 11 or if you start from 1 and put the emphasis on *1* 2 3 *4* 5 6 *7* 8 *9* 10 *11* 12. The latter is more intuitive, but the former is what everyone use? When did this start, and why is that the case?

B.- Videos of the Week:

1) Tips for Playing Chords with Rasgueos

2) About Cutaway Guitar – 4th Position and Beyond

3) Preparing for Level 1 / Series 2 - Different Scales Fingerings (7 videos)

C.- Video Recommendation of the Week:

1) John McLaughlin on Miles Davis and the recording(s) that changed his life

A.- Comments, Questions and Answers:

QUESTION 1: Are there any "rules" when someone is composing a flamenco piece? For example: intro-compas-falseta-compas-falseta etc. Is the number of falsetas played any specific number? What is that, in your opinion, that makes a flamenco composition sound like a flamenco composition?

ANSWER 1

To compose in modern flamenco there are many traditional rules to follow according to the code itself.

There are two kinds:

1) Flamenco “por derecho”. Here is a video explaining it:

 http://www.cfgstudio.com/cfgs-grant16.html

2) An approach we can say a bit “classical” in which specific settings are not flexible but fix beforehand.

That entails if there is an intro or not, how many falsetas are to be played, how many lyrics or “letras” are to be played between falsetas etc.

I would like to point out that the whole concept of an Intro Ad Libitum did not exist before Paco de Lucia as you can see from the following video lesson:

http://www.rdiaz.org/rdvideo455.html

Then as an example of an arrangement I did on Paco de Lucia’s piece “Rio de la miel”. I choose the specific spots in which the falsetas and the lyrics or “letras” would combine together to sound well, in my opinion that buleria should be like this:

http://www.rdiaz.org/rdvideo887.html

The order in which the falsetas are played does not matter as I demonstrated here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1cHLAE9kVk

The code of flamenco is divided into rhythmical aspects as well as melodical and aesthetical ones.

I suggest you listen to the following videos on the subject

It’s necessary to be acquainted with the following 8 aspects:

1)What is a “llamada” and a “Cierre”

http://www.cfgstudio.com/cfgs-grant15.html

2)What a falseta is http://www.cfgstudio.com/cfgs-grant17.html

3)How to ornament the lyrics or “letras” to make the singer and the rest of the band sound well http://www.cfgstudio.com/cfgs-grant25.html

4)To play in context (it applies to all the “palos” or styles but here is an example of that in Buleria)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4TRYeWB-1s

5)Regard the rhythm structure of the piece *4 videos http://www.rdiaz.org/rdvideo683.html

6)If you play with others is important to know how to command them

http://www.rdiaz.org/rdvideo581.html

7)If your composition is rather a modern one its important to be conversant with harmonic issues like the ones explained herein

http://www.rdiaz.org/rdvideo811.html

8)To play along with a singer here are 3 golden rules

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWBTWF0Cp5s

You can take a look to this nine video lessons for aspiring composers as an example http://www.rdiaz.org/rdvideo838.html

here you can see a composition without singer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzBA_qQpZqI

and this is a composition with singer and similar instruments

http://www.rdiaz.org/rdvideo890.html

In conclusion to sound flamenco for me is to be able to express my personal voice which I have discovered through Paco de Lucia’s style and music, and and here is an example of what I compose in that spirit http://www.rdiaz.org/rdvideo888.html

I hope to inspire you with my answer!

A.- Comments, Questions and Answers:

QUESTION 2: Why do many of the palos in flamenco start counting at 12, and not 1? Practically, it makes no difference if you count from 12 and put the emphasis on *12* 1 2 *3* 4 5 *6* 7 *8* 9 *10* 11 or if you start from 1 and put the emphasis on *1* 2 3 *4* 5 6 *7* 8 *9* 10 *11* 12. The latter is more intuitive, but the former is what everyone use? When did this start, and why is that the case?

ANSWER 2

The most ancient roots of flamenco came from the traditional Hindu music. It’s very well-known that Hindu music has a very rich and wide rhythm system in which one can find a lot of different composed rhythms, from the simple 5 beats rhyhtm subdivided in 2 beats + 3 beats -or otherwise- to the 32 beats rhythm with its proper subdivision.  The flamenco  12 beats compas subdivision comes from there and it has been like that since centuries ago when the gypsy community arrived to Spain.  All the rhythm exchange and the way the falsetas and the cante is configured is based on this particular subdivision. If we change this particular subdivision of the 12 beats compas, although it may be the same 12 beats, it won’t have the same result at the moment of making a melodic phrase or a remate.

This flamenco rhythm configuration has an important element in the remate, which is a kind of closure. Traditionally it ends at beat 10 of the 12 beats compas. This couldn’t happen if we try to do it based on the other subdivision mentioned above in the question (the 2nd one). Part of the identity of flamenco music is based on this. There are remates in the 4 beats palos too. In both compass (12 betas and 4 beats) the remates  can be melodical (with scales) or based on rhythm (with rasgueos) or made from a combination of both. Their function is to conclude, be it  a falseta, reinforce the remate of the  singer is doing, end a guitar solo or end the tune.

Relevant Links

Two kinds of Buleria

http://www.cfgstudio.com/cfgs-grant19.html

What is Buleria

http://www.cfgstudio.com/cfgs-grant20.html

B.- Videos of the Week:

1)Tips for Playing Chords with Rasgueos (1 video)

2) About Cutaway Guitar – 4th Position and Beyond (1 video)

3) Preparing for Level 1 / Series 2 - Different Scales Fingerings (7 videos)

1)Tips for Playing Chords with Rasgueos (1 video)

2) About Cutaway Guitar – 4th Position and Beyond (1 video)

3) Preparing for Level 1 / Series 2 - Different Scales Fingerings (7 videos)

C.- Video Recommendation of the Week:

1) John McLaughlin on Miles Davis and the Recording(s) That Changed His Life

This is a must! What is not a fusion?, John McLaughlin rises the question and in a very deep way he reflects on it based on the example of Miles Davis.

ISSUE 13